Spanish moss for nests?

[AmyRey]

Interesting article. Thanks!

 

[ChicknJ]

yes that is an interesting article. I have harvested Sp moss and have felt itchy and scratchy after, I thought the same thing about the red bugs. Instead of microwaving and risking the microwave, fire etc, maybe put it in a plastic bag with Sevin dust , shake it well and leave it closed for a few days?
You've got me thinking here.

 

[AmyRey]

I bet that would work too - for the bugs.

It seems, however, that green Spanish moss has a tendency to get moldy, so the microwave would help take some of the moisture out as well as kill the bugs.

 

[cmom]

I use spanish moss with a little DE sprinkled in the nests because spanish moss is so abundant here. It works well. Eveything else I tried went out of the nest boxes including eggs. Not so with the spanish moss. I live in Florida where it is very abundant so I just go get it off some trees.

 

[AmyRey]

Thanks, cmom.

I saw your post after I did a quick search.

 

[feckless_son]

I don't know about the spanish moss.
I do know these two things:

1. microwave ovens won't kill cockroaches because the wave pattern
does not "fill" the oven box.

2. ALL bugs will leave any veggies soaked for a while in salted water.

Maybe you could soak the spanish moss in brine, then dry it.

 

[cmom]

I just pick the Spanish Moss off of the trees and into the nest boxes with a little DE sprinkled on the Spanish Moss. I have been doing this for years with no problems or bugs. I don't wash it, microwave it or anything.

 

[Brindlebtch]

PeepsInc you can't get ANY kind of scabies from spanish moss, for heaven's sake. Scabies is sarcoptic mange and is caused by mange mites, yes, but moss is not in the mange mite's life cycle.
If you got scabies by golly you would know it!

Would freezing the moss work well, do you think? I agree mixing it with a little DE is probably sufficient.

 

[nelgkel]

Quote:
our local park has LOTS of spanish moss and saw it this morning and went hmmmmmmm wonder if I can use that in the nest boxes. So I came to BYC to check it out! THought I would just toss it in a 5 gallon bucket and coat it with DE, glad to see that is all you do is sprinkle DE on it! YAY!! off to the park to get some spanish moss!

 

[yelim]

Everything in Florida got froze just last winter. Bet chickens in the wild would love to have Spanish moss to nest in. Microwave for 45 seconds might be ok. Hadn't thought about moss before, good idea!
I'm off to pull moss. Now if they would just start laying.